An Adrenaline Junkie’s CrossFit Fix

Parkour practitioner James Calixto studied the three-meter gap. He ran, and leapt...and never saw the spike. The jagged wood punched clean through his palm. The scar is still there. “I was in grade school,” he laughs, “It was a big deal back then.” Especially for his parents and siblings, who balanced their youngest son's adventurous nature. Football, baseball, and basketball, occupied James’ time as much as skateboarding, surfboarding and airsoft. A part of the world-renowned Kundirana Troupe - he’s also serenaded for crowds around the world. These days though, James designs the buildings he once dreamed of scaling.

The second-year architecture student now spends his hours crafting blueprints and creating mock-ups. For a 20-year-old used to an adrenaline rush, sketching cities isn’t thrilling as free-running through them. His body agrees. “I’m an endomorph!” he complains, “I put on body fat easily!” The 5’9, 154 lb James has always relied on exercise to outpace weight gain, but trading board shorts for the blackboard let the fat catch up. “Then my brother signed me up for CrossFit.”

Primal Ape’s ever-changing, high-intensity Bootcamp classes quickly brought him up to speed. He's also went through the box’s “Primal Instinct” CrossFit foundations class. The straight, three-day sessions added deadlifts, overhead squats, and other technical CrossFit movements to his Bootcamp arsenal of pushes, presses, and sit-up variations. Asked why he trains, his answer comes quicksilver-quick. “I want to get stronger. And faster. And ripped.” For this reason, he claims going for Primal Ape was an easy choice. “Primal Ape doesn’t feel cramped. It isn’t unfriendly,” he looks up at the soaring ceiling, “and it’s not dark, or secluded.”

James sentiments about Primal Ape resonate with the free-spirited people sharing his lifestyle. This box appeals to those who prefer living in under open skies, vast lands, and endless seas.